After playing 120 minutes locked in a 0-0 tie, the Americans made all five of their penalty kicks to four for China on Saturday to win the championship of the Women's World Cup.

Maybe it's the location, or maybe it's the occasion, but this tournament ended the same way the 1994 men's World Cup did at the historic Rose Bowl. In '94, Italy and Brazil battled to a deadlock through 90 minutes and two overtimes, with the Brazilians then prevailing in a shootout.

"That's not the best way to finish," U.S. coach Tony DiCicco conceded. "I wish there had been some goals. But I'm delighted with the outcome. We did what we had to do to become champions."

And maybe that was enough.

The hyper, flag-waving crowd of 90,185 - the largest ever to watch a women's sporting event anywhere in the world - certainly seemed to think so.

When it was over, they screamed and stomped their approval as if the U.S. team had scored half a dozen goals, rather than managing to find the net one measly time more than the Chinese on penalty kicks.

In the end, this mostly defensive, chess match of a game came down to three plays - and three American players.

Near the end of the first 15-minute overtime, U.S. midfielder Kristine Lilly managed to narrowly keep a header by China's Fan Yunjie off a corner kick from finding the net, clearing the ball to Brandi Chastain, who scissored it out of danger.

"Kristine Lilly just did her job," Chastain said.

"Nothing more, nothing less. That was her spot. She was where she should have been at exactly the moment she should have been."

That play seemed to give the U.S. team, which had played sluggishly in the first overtime, new life. It dominated play in the second overtime, even though it couldn't score, and went into the shootout with confidence.

The first two shooters for each team connected.

Then China's Liu Ying, one of her team's most talented players, came up against the Americans' standout goalkeeper, Briana Scurry.

"I just looked at her and thought, "I can get this one,' " Scurry said. "I knew I just had to make this one save and we'd probably win it, because I knew my teammates would put it in."

And Scurry got that one needed save, coming slightly forward and blocking Liu's shot attempt off to the side.

There were those who questioned whether Scurry had moved forward too far, coming off her line, which is against the rules in that situation. But no call was made by the referee, and the crowd went crazy when Liu's shot bounced harmlessly away.

The next two shooters for each squad connected, which brought it down to San Jose native Chastain, who had missed a penalty kick in a 2-1 loss to China earlier this year in Portugal.

This time, kicking with her left foot instead of her right, as she had the earlier time, she calmly booted her attempt past Chinese goalkeeper Gao Hong for the winning, 5-4 edge.

"I didn't look at Gao," Chastain said. "As soon as the whistle blew, I just stepped up and hit it."

And then, anything but calmly, Chastain ripped off her shirt in celebration and ran toward the far side of the field as her teammates descended on her in a happy pile.

Asked about peeling off her top, Chastain said, "That was momentary insanity."

Maybe so, but it undoubtedly created a picture for the ages.

And it belied what, for the most part, was a conservative game, played between two very strong teams - the pretournament co-favorites - who seemingly decided they couldn't take a lot of rash chances on this hot, enervating and tension-filled afternoon.

China managed just three shots on goal during this marathon struggle, the United States had just five.

Neither coach apologized for the style of play, however.

"Both teams had great performances," China's Ma Yuanan said. "I was so happy with the way my players performed. But the American team was more fortunate than us."

"There were two champions out there today," said DiCicco. "The Chinese team is a credit to women's soccer. Certainly they could be carrying the (winning) trophy.

"But the other thing that comes to mind is the courage of the American players. They are so much the epitome of what this game is all about. It was difficult playing in that heat and at that pace, but they kept it together. This was a storybook ending for a team that has its place in history."

Whether that place in history - after the United States won its second of the three Women's World Cups - will be tarnished any by the manner of victory is open to debate.

But the penalty-kick solution is a part of the game.

"Any other time I hated it," Chastain said, "but I liked it today." &lt;